The ancient law of primogeniture dictates that aristocratic titles pass down through the male line, excluding women from election to the House of Lords

By Lin Taylor

LONDON, July 16 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Five women have taken Britain to Europe's top court over laws that prevent female heirs from standing for election to the upper house of parliament.

Most of the about 800 members of Britain's House of Lords are appointed, but the chamber includes 90 so-called hereditary peers and when their positions become vacant a successor is elected from a small pool of people with aristocratic titles.

The women, part of campaign group Daughters' Rights, are challenging the ancient law of primogeniture, which dictates that such titles pass down through the male line - meaning only men are eligible to stand for election.

"To give women the same political opportunities as men and remove this discrimination from the statue books, all we need to change the law is the removal of one word - 'male'," said Charlotte Pole, a spokeswoman for Daughters' Rights.

Willa Franks, Eliza Dundas, Sarah Long, Hatta Byng and Tanya Field lodged their case with the European Court of Human Rights last week.

They have urged the British government to change the law so all hereditary titles can be passed on to heirs, regardless of their gender.

"It seems wrong in a country where women, including now royal women, are born with equal opportunities, that we continue to discriminate against one group based only on gender," said Edward Legard, barrister for Daughters' Rights.

Our global editorial team of more than 50 journalists and about 250 freelancers covers the world’s under-reported stories at the heart of aid, development, women’s and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, and climate change.